Rachel Décoste

Media critic, policy analyst and pundit

Rachel Décoste is a media critic, educator and pundit from Ottawa, Canada. Ms. Décoste has been a community activist since her youth, working with organizations such as Children's Aid Society, S.O.S. Montfort Hospital, the Famous 5 Foundation, and the Black Canadian Scholarship Fund, to name a few. Her commitment has not been limited to local activities: she has traveled abroad to provide aid in South and Central Americas. In 2008, Ms. Décoste worked on then-Senator Obama’s presidential campaign and again in 2012. Ms. Décoste was named in Ottawa's Top 50 Personalities in Ottawa Life magazine's 2010 annual edition. Ms. Décoste lives in Washington, D.C.

For the record, Céline has been cool for 30 years. Here are the receipts: Céline had her first hit at age 12. Yes twelve. She was so fantastic that, in a pre-Internet age, her talent crossed the Pacific Ocean into Japan, where she won a prize for a tear-jerking "love song to mom" at the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival.

There's nothing like a black girlfriend to cause racism to rear up its ugly head. It isn't surprising that Brits would recoil at the hint of racial impurity infiltrating their blue bloodlines. Cultivating whiteness is, after all, their family business. What's unforgivable is Prince Harry's silence.

After reporters revealed the mismatch between Minister Maryam Monsef's stated and actual birthplaces, a politically-motivated "outrage" ensued. Did she purposely mislead her colleagues, her constituents? Was she a fraud? Could her Canadian citizenship be revoked?

Outside of the bilateral relationship with its U.S. ally, foreign aid is not something Canadians are accustomed to. That's why eyebrows were raised when a contingent of 300 African firefighters landed in Edmonton to lend a hand. Three hundred -- that's 100 more firefighters than the U.S. is sending Canada's way to battle the historic blaze.

The deployment of wildland fire fighters to Fort McMurray is the biggest foreign deployment ever for South Africa (save armed forces' deployments). The South African PR machine casts the aid as "repaying a debt to the Canadian people for their support for the anti-apartheid struggle." It's an interesting re-interpretation considering Canada's weak anti-apartheid record and deteriorating diplomatic relationships with South Africa.

As Canadians look down upon the severe tone of the Republican primary season, they might console themselves by saying: "We would never resort to that kind of hateful dialogue, and it would never work here -- in the multicultural haven that is Canada." Prime Minister Robert Borden might prove them wrong.

What happened with Stacey Dash has been going on for decades, and not just in the U.S. Banking on vulnerable people to lie to save their skin is one thing. To use these misguided statements, possibly offered under duress, as a catalyst for further marginalization of racialized groups is cruel. This tactic has often worked well for the establishment.

Pope Francis' statements are a testament to the immeasurable and enduring damage that colonialism and transatlantic slavery had on Africa. But Pope Francis' covert finger-wagging to African leaders for their role in what the pontiff called 'new colonialism' seems like an apt distraction from the 'old colonialism' the Church has yet to answer for.

Stephen Harper's reign ended this week as PM Justin Trudeau took his oath. As Trudeau 2.0 picked the persons who will join him at the head table of political power, many in the media trumpet the "most diverse parliament ever."

Despite the whining by self-interested elites which has dominated the national discourse thus far, there is a silver lining to an extended writ. For many Canadians, it is a prime-ministerial present. Whatever your political stripe, take advantage of this extra time to make your vote matter.

Despite the whining by self-interested elites which has dominated the national discourse thus far, there is a silver lining to an extended writ. For many Canadians, it is a prime-ministerial present. Whatever your political stripe, take advantage of this extra time to make your vote matter.

The Haitian and Dominican republics share a porous border and a long, complicated and bloody history. The island's fissure divides it along colonial, linguistic, socioeconomic and cultural lines. In the era of globalization and international collaboration it's time to reexamine the Haitian-Dominican relationship.

In a stunning about-face enlightened evolution, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced the end of carding in his city this week. As the congratulatory backslapping spread across Hogtown, the rest of the province and the rest of the country is left eating dust. For us, carding carries on. To eradicate carding in Canada, this case must be heard in the highest courts. Judges must remind all citizens, including mayors, premiers and prime-ministerial hopefuls, that equality and fairness are more than filatures for flowery speeches

The CBC brass need to pay attention to the general public's growing apathy towards an institution too often in the news for the wrong reasons. Uncomfortable corporate silences. Lingering questions. Unanswered inquiries. CBC fans can't explain this riddle to themselves, much less to lukewarm listeners. As the embattled broadcaster lobbies for increased government dollars to "Save the CBC" underneath a cloud of checkered transparency and puzzling rationales, taxpayers' appetite for increased spending dries up.

Ontario Premier Wynne ascended to power by winning over the small clique of Liberal Party members who can afford leadership conference fees and travel expenses. Both Ontario women and LGBT communities rejoiced at this opportunity to have, for the first time, one their own at the seat of power. People of colour and hijab-wearing Muslim-Canadian women face acute harassment that falls outside the sort explicitly described in Wynne's plan. As a candidate, Wynne reached out to visible minorities on her way to the mountain top. Then she forgot about them.

Rumours have been swirling about a black James Bond for years. Mike Le of RaceBending.com believes people who think of themselves as "post-racial" will find a way to twist this theatrical racial reversal, arguing "with this particular event, you're no longer allowed to complain about racism." After the Emancipation Proclamation, people said "You're not allowed to complain because we freed the slaves." There is a contingent of concerned African-Americans who recoil the idea of giving autocrats a rope -- until they can ascertain who will ultimately be hanging from it.

CBC Television went national in 1958. The CTV Television Network followed three years later. Both TV networks have grown into a Canadian staples. Over a half century, consumer habits have changed. But have the networks evolved with the changing face of the viewership? The best Canadian content is the one which reflects the full spectrum of the Canadian identity -- before and behind the cameras.

Both American and Canadian media have showcased the new wave of ethnic Barbie-sized dolls. The culturally-attuned figurines fill the gaping void in a transforming consumer base. Dark-skinned dolls with Aryan noses, Elizabethan hips, and Caucasian hair fail to capture the magic that Barbie has brought to little white girls for over 50 years.